Sudhanva D Shetty

Columnist at The Logical Indian

Sudhanva D Shetty is a columnist at The Logical Indian, the most popular youth-run media outlet in India. He is an official reporter for Data Security Council of India and a reviewer for the National Skill Development Corporation. You can contact him via email at bylm2323@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @SudhanvaSDS.

Teesta Setalvad is a name that's appeared frequently in the media since 2002. She has been portrayed variously as a crusader for justice and an embezzler of funds, as a heroine and a hypocrite. The purpose of this post is not to paint Setalvad in any particular way but to provide readers with the necessary facts behind her life and work so that they can research further and form an independent picture of her. This is a timeline of Teesta Setalvad.

Zakir Naik is neither a representative of Indian Muslims nor a personification of Indian secularism. He is a bully who thrives on misinformation and sectarianism and represents everything that is wrong with blind religiosity. He is an expert in the politics of division. Which is why we need to actively speak out against Naik and other personalities like him.

It is easy for us as readers to accuse the media of biased reporting and to portray journalists as being West-obsessed. Indeed, the media is to be blamed for under-reporting crucial events and not amply informing us of them. But the average reader is also to blame for this. The average consumer of news is more attracted by click-bait headlines and colourful stories than by facts or scholarly opinion.

Nationalism and patriotism are two words which are often used inter-changeably. This is incorrect since there is a world of difference between the two concepts, in spite of a few shared ideals. While patriotism fundamentally means affection for one's country and willingness to defend it, nationalism is a more extreme, unforgiving form of allegiance to one's country.

Trump's rise is actually good news for India. Given his anti-immigrant stance and his proposal to amend H-1B visas, this might seem incorrect. But when delved into, two striking points come into the picture.